Transaid raises more than £160,000 thanks to industry support

International development charity Transaid has praised the transport and logistics sector after fundraising initiatives helped it to raise more than £160,000 during 2014.

Members of the industry took part in special events and individual challenges throughout the year, with the London to Brussels cycle ride adding more than £70,000 to the total. Equally important were personal fundraising challenges, such as Guy Heywood, a commercial director of Michelin, who scaled Mount Kilimanjaro with his family during the summer and Simon Bennett, business development manager at Abellio Group, who set himself a challenge of running 400 miles to raise vital funds.

This huge level of support helped Transaid to make a real difference in the developing world, with its Professional Driver Training Projects in Tanzania and Zambia teaching 2,454 HGV and PSV drivers, plus 13 driver trainers in a 12-month period alone. Other highlights in 2014 saw Transaid busy distributing 140 bicycles for its Bicycle Ambulance Project in Zambia, which provides emergency transport in rural areas of Zambia.

Another of Transaid’s projects, the Emergency Transport Scheme in Nigeria, trained 710 taxi drivers to provide emergency transport last year, continuing to increase the number of women in labour who have been helped to access health facilities since the project began.

“2014 was another very successful year for us and we would like to thank everyone who has helped us to reach this outstanding total,” says Caroline Barber, acting CEO of Transaid. “The industry’s continued fundraising support helps us to make a positive impact to so many lives. We’re now setting our sights firmly on working with our loyal supporters and new partners to make 2015 our best fundraising year yet.”

Other key contributors in 2014 included the Transaid Christmas appeal which raised £17,500, exceeding its £15,000 goal and making it the charity’s most successful Christmas campaign to date.

Transaid was also the beneficiary of 23 industry events which raised more than £70,000 towards the running of the charity’s projects – each designed to improve road safety, access to health care and livelihoods. Such events included the CILT Awards of Excellence and the Women in Logistics Ball, which raised nearly £10,000 apiece through ticket sales, auctions and raffles.

For more information or to find out how you can support the charity visit www.transaid.org.